Taro
by UmbreonxGlaceon
Summary: What happens when you introduce an average, normal-ish girl to something straight out of a Japanese story? Lets just say, life can't get more hectic.
1. Chapter 1

_Snow fell gently across that mountain sky. Me and my wife laid curled up next to each other, under that snow covered cherry tree. Every moment I spent with her was complete serenity. Our lovely night was quickly ruined with an echo of gunfire. Hunters had invaded our land. They closed in on our area. I looked into my wife's eyes filled with concern. She begged me to run to leave her behind. I declined. My world would be ruined if anything happened to her. She told me again to just get out of there. I nudged her gently, looking into her eyes again, before running off._

 _Gun fire blazed around me as I ran. I hit the dense forest, but was soon caught in a trap the hunters set up. It dug deep into my leg. The hunters grew close to where I remained stuck. I needed to get out of there fast. I closed my eyes and prayed for a safer place. I felt the ground beneath me vanish and the wind rustle passed me._

 _When I opened my eyes, I found myself under some sort of metal cave. My leg ached from the trap. Nonetheless, I had to get moving. I didn't know how far I had traveled so the hunters could still be nearby. From the looks of things, it appeared like I had made it to one of the human cities. Snow was falling even here of all places. I slowly hobbled across the area, the pain coursing through me with every step._

 _The cold air chilled my wound, bringing shivers across my body. I needed shelter and fast. So I opted to test my luck and made my way onto a random porch. I dropped myself there, curling up. It appeared that my presence became known when the door next to me opened. At this point, I had no energy to run. So I just laid there, hoping for it all to just end._

The burnt smell of a metal pot reached the young woman's nose as she hurried to turn off the kettle on her gas stove before she burned down her modest one bedroom house. She sighed as she turned off the whistling kettle.

"I know better than that. What would you have done if you started a fire now? Not to mention the blizzard raging outside...Why do I have such an irresponsible, unsympathetic, and work-alcoholic boss anyway? Everyone else has the day off! Oh wait a minute, how could you forget? There could be a hurricane about to sweep the whole town away and I would still have to come to work... Not to mention I have an hour to present the next design for our latest issue and if I am not there in the next 30 minutes I can kiss my overwhelming, stressful, yet somehow pays for the bills job goodbye."

She reached on her counter, grabbing a tall, dark blue thermal canister and proceeded to pour the steaming water inside. After glancing at the silver watch on her wrist, she nearly bit her tongue in her haste to run out the kitchen, forgetting to put the tea bag inside the thermal, yanked her paper bag of reheated instant ramen noodles off the kitchen table- along with her portfolio of designs and ran to the front door.

Placing her hand on the doorknob she paused mid-step after hearing a distinct "thud" sound outside.

"Thud?" She whispered as she glanced out her window to see the snow gently falling but not much else. She tapped her foot for a moment trying to chase away the silly thoughts that there was possibly a half-frozen homeless person on the other side of the door, or possibly it was a rock thrown by bored neighborhood kids…

"Okay there's no point in scaring myself silly trying to imagine what is on the other side of this door. It's probably nothing. A random snowball. The mailman coming with a package and he just decided to drop it on the porch. It's certainly not like a crazy person picked my house at random to oh, I don't know, rob, or hide away in because they are secretly on the run from the police."

After debating these ridiculous ideas for a few moments, she decided to put her imagination to rest and opened the door.

A sharp odor like rust and salt hit her nose after opening the door. She looked down to find a fox. However this fox did not look like the bushy tailed, happily barking ones she saw on TV. This one looked like it had dragged itself through a wire-fence, got caught in a bear trap, and then was dunked in a frozen river. The coat underneath, the torn fur, and bloody wounds seemed to be white, but she could not be sure given the current injuries.

She carefully placed her job-related materials on the side of the open door, and slowly reached out to the blood spattered animal. Her breath turned wheezy and ragged when she saw something she had missed before; the dull colored metal bear trap on the fox's leg. Her hand stopped just above the fox's shoulder. Taking a shaky breath, she held her hand over the fox's chest. When she did not feel a telltale bump-bump of a steady heartbeat, she yanked her hand away as if she had burned.

She could not imagine the pain, the suffering this poor, defenseless animal must have went through. Her thoughts were a whirlwind of emotions, the least of which was her impending presentation at her obsessive job, and finally she could not stand to watch the shallow breathing of the fox any longer.

With her hands curved underneath the fox's slender body, cradling it to her chest, and staring at the metal teeth of that bear trap clamped tight on its ankle as she tip-toed back into the warmth of her living room, closing the door with a push of her foot.

Now she had a problem on her hands, or rather in her hands. Where she was going to put the fox, closer to the brick walled fireplace, or on top of her faded, forest green couch, which was a gift from her mother, or on the tattered fluffy white rug in the middle of the living room?

A weak whimper escaped from the fox in her arms. She gasped and made her decision. She tugged the white rug closer to the fireplace, dragging it with one of her feet. Then she laid the fox on its side. She clenched her teeth to keep from growling at the low-life that would do this to such a beautiful creature, but she had to focus now. Darting from the room, she grabbed a blue and white hand towel that was curled around the faucet. Turning on the cold water, she ran it over the towel and then wrung out the water as best she could.

Setting the towel aside, looking under the kitchen sink, she pulled out a worn brown bucket, and then filled the bucket with warm soapy water. She power-walked back into the living room carrying the bucket and towel. She placed those next to the fox's head and gently wiped it down. She dunked the towel into the water and wiped the rest of its body. The fox did not twitch or whimper. If it was not for the wheezing breath she would have thought it was...No! This was no time to sink into despair.

After cleaning off the blood as best she could; she knew it was time to deal with that trap. But how? She had no professional tools, no welding or carpentry skills to speak of, and she did not have the super-strength needed to just yank it open and pull its torn leg out.

"Okay, think, think, think...I obviously cannot blowtorch it off. I don't have a blowtorch. Could this thing maybe have a, a wire or something that holds it together, so I can cut it off? Wait a minute, that tool box I bought at the flea market about 4 months ago! Maybe it has wire cutters. Now where did I put it?"

She sprinted back into the kitchen and grabbed a turkey baster, filling it up with water. She leaned down next to the fox's head. Her hands were trembling for a moment. It was not every day she had to perform emergency first aid on a fox. But then she smacked her forehead.

"What are you doing? Get the trap off first! Then try to give um… him or her I don't know which it is yet, a drink! But he or she is probably dehydrated too. Oh I have no idea what I'm doing!"

She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She stared at the bear trap, feeling quite tempted to kick the stupid thing. "No matter how much I may want to, I can't see myself hurting her any more than she already is, or he is…Oh right the tools!" Putting aside that thought, she ran down her wallpaper covered hallway towards her bathroom and the closest. She yanked open the door and started throwing all of her coats and the two purple and yellow sunflower umbrellas out of her way. When her fingers finally touched metal she nearly sighed with relief.

Running back to the living room, she placed the tool box on the floor and began rummaging through it to find what she wanted. Pulling out the red handled wire cutters, she held them in a firm grip and examined the odd trap. It did not look like any bear trap she had ever seen. It looked as if it was made of pure iron or possibly silver and the points seemed to be coated in a strange substance.

She almost considered covering her hands in melted butter to see if she could slip the fox's leg out of the trap. She shook her head. There was very little chance of that actually working. She rubbed her hands on her pant leg over and over, trying to ignore her jittery and nervous emotions.

Carefully she gripped one side of the trap and held onto the cutters with her other hand. She grunted with effort as she pulled on the end with all her strength. At first nothing happened. However she would not give up. Little by little and inch by nail-biting inch, the top of the trap lifted outward. Sweat trickled into her eyes. At last when she felt she had it at just the right angle, she edged the cutters closer, heading towards the curved edges of the trap, and then Snap, Snap!

The open trap fell over without a squeak or groan. Her fingers fumbled over each other as they slipped while trying to pull the other fangs out of the fox's leg. After a few slips and whispered apologies; the fox's leg was free!

"Oh my...Wow, just wow…"

Now that she could relax much more than before, she cleaned up the dried blood as best she could, wrapping him or her up on the rug close to the fire, and she even managed to get about one and half "cups" of water inside its mouth thanks to her trusty turkey baster.

After she had assured herself her new house guest was not in danger of frostbite, or overheating, or blood loss she could concentrate on other things. Unfortunately, she tripped over her pile of coats and umbrellas in her frenzied search for her tool box, with her arms full of bandages from the bathroom.

Her hands did not shake or tremble as she wrapped the fox's wounds, one by one, and after she was done cleaning up she simply sat down and allowed herself to cry and laugh and cry again.

It was only after things had settled down that she could hear the incessant ringing of her pager, her house phone, and yes even her pay-as-you-go cell phone. She turned to the clock and saw it was 4:30. She was most certainly late for her presentation, but she did giggle at the fact that with all her running, wiping, occasionally falling, and worrying the whole event took little more than the 30 minutes she would have spent driving in the snow.

She had no energy to deal with her too stern boss or her talkative coworkers who would no doubt be mining for all kinds of information about why she was late. But at the moment she could not summon the energy to care. She watched her soft-furred house guest, wiping away stray tears, and gently patting its back hoping and praying that somehow it would be okay.

A few hours went by before the small fox regained consciousness. ' _This warmth. Am I dead? No. I'm not dead. But why?'_ The fox slowly opened its eyes, looking around to see where it was. ' _A house? But how did I get here?'_ The fox tried to stand, but fell back down from the pain. ' _Oh yeah. That. This has gotten complicated. Let's hope whoever found me isn't with them.'_ With no other reasonable choice, the fox lowered its head back down and tried to sleep off the pain. Hopefully it would still be alive come morning.

Morning light shone through the window as the small fox woke once more. ' _So I'm still alive. As well as still inside the same structure. Maybe I lucked out. Anyway, I might as well look around for a bit before whoever found me wakes up.'_ The fox stood up and moved about the house, limping slightly from its leg injury.

He made his way across the living room, examining the environment around him. ' _Interesting. It appears this place is in need of a major renovation. However, the poor appearance of the house shows that whoever found me probably isn't with them. Now that's a relief. I would have had to kill them if they were.'_ The fox slowly ventured around some more taking in the area, as well as planning emergency escape routes in case things got ugly.

The windows seemed to be in a good position, not too high and not too low, but he would have to wait a few more days before he could risk melting or jumping out one of them. His claws clicked on the wooden floors. It was fortunate nothing in the immediate area smelled violent or cruel, in fact, the overall scent of this place was calm and relaxing. It had a certain organized clutter which could be seen in the strange shiny clay-people and animals on top of the bricks over the fire-pit.

Following his nose, he clicked over the wood. His ears remained pricked, always alert to new danger. His claws clicked again on white squares that did not smell like anything he had smelled before. _Why does it have to be so cold outside? If it was not for my leg I would… Well there is nothing I can do about my leg. Perhaps the owner of this strange den is a healer. Judging by the scent, they were female. Now where is the female? And is this where she hunts? Such an odd place to hunt, no forests, no running water; it is protected from most of the harsh weather, yet I find it difficult to imagine anyone hunting in here._

He limped past the tall wood planks that seemed to lead into smaller dens. One of these smaller dens had brightly colored pelts that looked to his surprise very soft. The pelt thing was raised somewhat above the floor. He took a deep sniff of the den. The scent here was more calming, yet more feminine. Early sunlight filtered through the open window giving it a cool glow. He could not identify most of the objects in the den because he had been living in his own private den with... _no I can't think of her now. Once I figure out where I am and I am fully healed then I can focus on...What's that sound?_

A low murmur whispered toward his perked up ears. It was coming from outside this den, but not the one where he believed the owner ate her kills, it came from another den closer by.

He limped out of the room heading toward the den with white squares and a faint scent of water. _Could this be where she bathes? It doesn't look like any watering hole I have ever seen. Why must humans live in such odd dens? But the words she are whispering make no sense. I suppose she is trying not to disturb any den mates that may be living here. I don't get the sense that she lives with another human._

"I know, I know Sandy. But you don't understand. I could not leave 'em there outside in the snow with a possibly poisoned bear trap clamped over his ankle. He could have bled to death, what was I supposed to do? … … ...Yes, I know I'm not a vet, I have given up my childhood dream of being a vet, living on a ranch, and watching my beautiful wild stallion from a hidden island galloping down the hills. I will talk to the boss. I will finish that presentation but the weekend is coming and I am not…

"What?! He's making me come in on my two days off? … Because I called off on my birthday? I had the flu! There was no way I could go to work; I'd risked getting everyone sicker than water-logged dogs in the middle of December. I don't care if that sounds like country slang. …. All right fine, fine… I will come in Saturday and Sunday. Thank you for the heads up. I have to go check up on my patient. I hope he or she hasn't been hurt trying to explore my clutter filled home. Yeah, I'll call you tomorrow, at 8 am. Yes I will be there at 9:30 if my little Beetle hasn't been buried under six feet of snow. Um...no I don't think that's a good idea Sandy. He's injured and injured foxes do not want to be around crowds of people it stresses them out. Thanks again talk to you later bye. "

 _Hmm. She really is a strange one. She seems to be talking to another person, but I only smell her in there. Either this girl is crazy, or there's someone in there I can't smell. I must investigate!_

The fox placed his front paws on the wooden divider in front of him, pushing with all his might. Despite his efforts though, the piece of wood wouldn't budge. _Move you… tree child thing._

His strength was still weak and he fell against the floor in defeat. In frustration for his loss to a piece of wood, the fox laid there, lightly scratching at it and begging it to let him through.

After hanging up she sighed. She kind of expected her friend to scold her, she was being really irresponsible, and to make matters worse taking care of an injured fox was not a "good" reason for skipping work. But she was not going to budge on this. She had made up her mind. Remembering her new house guest, she jumped up from the side of her bed and tip toed to the door.

She could have sworn she heard scratching or something like it. Could her soft furry friend have woken up? Biting her lip she could not help feeling kind of nervous. What if the fox was panicked? The poor thing could be running no limping would be more accurate, all over her scattered living room wondering where in the world it was, how did it get there, and was it going to be served for dinner? She couldn't stand these questions any more so placing her hand on the doorknob she slowly opened the door and to her delight and shock…

There was her furry friend on his or her paws lightly scratching the wood and laying on its stomach panting lightly. If she was not staring at him- _for some reason I get this feeling this is a boy but I have no idea why,_ with such a strong intensity she would be very afraid that he was not breathing.

She leaned down and put her shaking fingers on top of his back. Gently she rubbed her fingers over his white coat. With his paws tucked under him she couldn't see if his ankle or leg looked any better, but she was so hoping it at least did not look like a hungry Doberman had decided to use his leg for a chew toy.

"Hello there, you have such soft fur, but you do not look like you should be running around yet. I may not have a job after today, not that it is your fault. ...Oh my goodness I'm talking like you can understand me… Maybe I'm going crazy. Anyway if you don't mind I'll take you back to my living room, get you some soft clean blankets to sleep on, and then I can head in the kitchen and fix you something to eat."

She whispered all of this as she carefully slipped her hands under the soft belly of the fox and carried him close to her chest back towards the living room. She placed him on the faded forest green couch. Then she almost ran back to her bedroom picked up her old quilt from her Grandmother Katie and after power-walking back to the couch she tucked it around his paws and belly.

"I have no idea what I am doing. Now what exactly do you prepare for an injured fox, who is no doubt used to hunting wild game, stuck inside of a house that has not seen wild game since the owner was a little girl…? Okay, okay, calm down. At least you know he's walking around but he still looks weak and he's at least thirsty, so start with water and go from there. Yes now I have a plan."

 _This feeling. This warmth._ The fox curled up on the blanket.

' _Mother?'_ It was quiet, almost inaudible, but still heard if one was close enough. The fox, not knowing what he just did, relaxed himself. ' _Don't leave… Me... Mother.'_

The fox stood up, walking around with no trouble. He seemed to be deep in sleep. ' _Mother. Where are you mother? I-I can't see you.'_ The fox fell silent for a bit before his body flinched back. ' _Mother no.'_ His body fell limp once more, as he laid on the wooden floor. ' _Mother… No..'_

The young girl disappeared into her modest kitchen. She tapped her chin looking lost. "Um...what exactly do you fix for an injured fox? Oh wait, foxes eat meat so what about that leftover chicken from that luncheon. Okay, chicken, oh and steamed vegetables and lucky! Here's some turkey and some leftover spicy orange tofu for me. Now I'll put this in microwave for a few minutes." While the food was heating up, she went to a cupboard and pulled out a round dark brown pan and put faded white plates on top of the counter for when the food was done.

She peeked back into the living room and saw him laid out on the floor. It looked like the blanket had wrapped around his legs and back. He did not move except for the rise and fall of his breaths. "Oh food hurry up and get hot. He really doesn't look good…"

The fox laid there, motionless for a bit. His eyes slowly opened as he looked around. "Where am I? Where's mother?! Where's mother?!" The fox shot to his feet, only to fall back down in pain. "Damn this infernal injury! Damn those bloody hunters too! I need to get out of here now!"

The young woman almost ran to the microwave in her haste to get the food and not trip on her face. She sucked on her fingers when she forgot to grab a pot holder to carry the food to the white plates. After she scooped chicken and turkey breasts onto a plate and her tofu rested on top of steamed veggies and noodles in a green bowl. She hurried into the living room. She gasped almost dropping the pan of food to the wooden floor. He was standing! He was barking or yipping or whatever it was foxes did. He also looked like he was in a lot of pain but he was too determined to get in some open space to stay in this house.

"What can I do? He's so stressed he'll hurt himself worse trying to leave. The problem is if he leaves now he's sure to be eaten or captured again by...the Jerks who did this in the first place! When I get my hands on those monsters I'll make them wish they were never born! Now wait a minute, focus. Just put the food on the floor as close to him as possible and then step back and enjoy your vegan meal. Oh I hope he eats. He really needs to keep up his strength."

The fox went silent when the plate was placed down. He stared at her hand as she moved away, ready to strike if needed. Seeing no intent to harm him, his eyes fell on the plate of food in front of him. Chicken. Cooked chicken, yet barely warm enough. And yet. It did look good. He inched towards the plate, hesitant that it might run off on him, or attack him. Don't judge him. It's happened.

She stared at the fox as he sniffed the food. She wondered if she had made it hot enough. Her own plate did not look as appetizing any more, and yet it slowly disappeared in quiet thoughtful nibbles. "He's acting like the food is gonna run away from him. Last time I checked chicken, once it's cooked, doesn't get up and walk...then again I could be wrong. No! I'm being silly! Hmm...back to picking at my plate…"

Sensing no malicious intent coming from either the food in front of him or the girl who placed it there, the fox began eating into the chicken. If anything, it was edible.

A surprised squeal escaped her lips when she saw the fox finally, finally eating.

"Oh my gosh, I didn't poison him! He's eating! He's eating! Hooray!" The young woman started bouncing in her seat on a wooden chair in her excitement and delight. She stared at her house guest again and decided to stop squirming, she didn't want to scare him off.

The fox cleaned the plate off before limping off into a different room. ' _Now what. Can't leave just yet.'_ He hid himself inside a closet and just laid there. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

"I was really hoping he'd stay in one room. But I guess if he feels more comfortable somewhere else, like where he can hide easily then I can't judge him. Now what do I do? I am not a vet. And there seems to be something different about this fox. It is really too bad he can't talk… Oh well, I have a full day of explaining my actions and with any fortune in my life I will still be employed by the end of tomorrow.

She yawned, wiping away a stray tear. "This has been a long day, but I got dishes to clean and I just have to check on my house guest before I go to bed." After the dishes were cleaned, she had taken a shower, put on her pj's and peeked into the closet where the fox was sleeping. She laid down some extra blankets, made sure the hallway light was off, and whispered, "Good night my soft, furry friend sweet dreams."

The memories from that moment still haunted the fox's dreams. He shot awake early that morning. ' _Damn it all! What did we ever do to deserve this?_ ' The fox got up, wandering around the house, unable to get actual sleep. That's when his stomach growled. _Probably should get something to eat. But first, to drop this small body for my own._ The fox closed its eyes and was enveloped within a cloud of smoke. From that cloud emerged a small child, about twelve years old in age with hair as white as falling snow.

"Now to cook up something quick."

The young woman shuffled towards the living room; her eyes just barely open. She had gotten up early this morning to check on her house guest and call the office. There was still a thick cover of snow on the ground. She had heard the rumble of salting trucks and early morning drivers outside driving down the road. She intended to start some coffee, maybe grab a blueberry muffin or two, plop down on her modest love seat, and begin the long, painstaking process of calling her workaholic boss and somehow convincing him to let her keep her job.

A familiar sound of breaking eggs, the pop and sizzle of sausages, and later the glug, glug of chilled milk reached her ears as she slid her feet across the wooden floor.

He seemed to be in his own world, not hearing someone approaching. He finished up with preparing his small meal, stepping out of the kitchen only to be face-to-face with the girl who had been taking care of him. "Well this is awkward."

The girl had not really opened her eyes yet. She rubbed them while yawning with a squeak. The voice did not sound familiar, so she shrugged trying to wake herself up. "Hm…? Mom, what are you doing here? The last time you made me breakfast like this I was in my last semester at college…"

When the male's words finally pierced through her exhausted brain her eyes popped. A slender finger slowly pointed towards him and she felt a rising shriek in her throat. Her lips trembled but whether it was shock, excitement, or fear she had no idea. A million questions tumbled through her mind at once and she had no idea which one to ask first. So she decided to start simple, "Hello."


	2. Chapter 2

He stood there, utterly clueless as to what to do next. _Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. What now? She's seen me. I could eat her. But she's been so nice to me. Memory wipe? Maybe._ He noticed the way she was looking at him. _Oh dear. Now she's staring at me. Say something damn it! Before she hits you with something. Hopefully not a frying pan. That shit hurts._ "Umm. Hi? I can explain. I think."

Staring in disbelief, she continued to stand motionless in the doorway of the modest kitchen. Taking a tentative sniff, she smiled at the aroma of the warm food sitting on plates on the table. Not entirely sure if this was a dream or not right now, she decided to cautiously move toward the table. Her legs creaked in a stiff forward motion unfortunately she still cannot talk. Her hand gripped the back of the chair, but she had misjudged how slippery her grip was. So when she moved the chair back to sit down, the back proceeded to slip out of her grasp. With a tiny squeak, the chair fell towards the floor taking her with it.

He stared at her with an understandable puzzled look. "Are you okay?" His tone was filled with more confusion than compassion. Not because he didn't care. Just that he didn't know if she fell on purpose or something. Humans are a weird species so he wouldn't be surprised. "Do you need some help?"

The young girl rubbed her head wincing a little at the pain. She glanced up at the white haired, golden eyed stranger standing and conversing with her in her kitchen. Which brought her to the next logical point. How in the world did he get in here?! The last time she checked she had been the only human in this one-story home with a seriously injured fox and now there was a...a… young man here?

"Um...um...how did you...? I mean where did you…?" She took quite a few deep breaths to center her thoughts in some manner of logical thinking. "Let me start over," she whispered before picking up the fallen chair in stiff robotic movements, and finally sitting in said chair as was her original intention. She sighed for a moment and then looked at him as close in the eyes as she dared, _they are really quite startling and kind of mesmerizing, and so easy to get lost in deep amber shade… Aah! Focus girl!_

"My name is Haru and can you tell me… _who are you, where did you come from, how did you get here, um no that won't work. Too many questions! How about..._ your name?"

"Hmm. Let's see." Trying not to look like he knew what she was thinking, he stood there, staring back at her. For some reason though, the way she smelled was strange. Not strange as in disgusting. Strange as in something he hadn't smelled before, and for some reason, it smelled good. "I'm Taro. And well. Before I say anything else. Could you… Lend me some clothes…?"

Haru blinked for a few seconds to make sure that was what she heard. Puckering her lips, she frowned a little. Muttering under her breath, "Um… not sure I do. I mean he looks like a little boy. And I have never had a little boy stay here for any long period of time. Must be something I can do. Um speak up Haru. He's waiting."

Haru pushed a plate of scrambled eggs with steaming sausage and a small corner of fresh strawberries, blueberries, and sliced mangoes towards him. _Food is usually a good opener to a conversation, a normal conversation that two people have, in a kitchen, in a house that is buried in snow… Oh my gosh! Where's my furry friend?! He could be starving behind a coat rack in my closet, or bleeding on the floor in the living room because I didn't tie his bandages up right! Oh dear what do I do!?_

 _Wait, wait, wait! I can't go rushing off to check on an injured fox! I have a young, naked mysterious guest standing in my kitchen. We should be chit-chatting… Oh drat! He needs clothes! Right clothes, clothes, clothes…_

"I am so sorry, but I need to find you some clothes. So how about you stay here and enjoy this nice warm meal and I will find clothes and be right back!" Haru almost fell back in her haste to get to her meager closet to hopefully find some appropriate clothing for him to wear. She could contemplate her furry friend's safety when her guest was settled and her mind was not currently running a triathlon up there.

Taro watched as Haru left, curious as to what clothes she was going to find for him. So, as any reasonable, umm individual would do, he decided to follow after her. And for some reason, he chose to be in his fox form when doing so.

Haru rushed into her bedroom nearly colliding with her bed in the process. She quickly recovered and yanked open the doors to her closet. Staring in dismay at the lack of clothing suitable for a little boy, because, well most of those items were for formal events that she was 99.9% certain she would never attend and the others were her work uniforms and a few sparse, yet comfortable lazy day clothes. Tapping her foot with impatience and growing sense of nervousness; she sprinted up to the pale beige wood drawer next to her window with light green curtains. Once the first two drawers were open, she groaned out loud.

None of these would do for a little boy. For one thing most of them were too big. Luckily she found some pj pants that she had been meaning to give to charity for the longest time and a fairly small t-shirt. The pants had a cloud pattern on a blue background. The shirt had a print out of Inuyasha and Kagome about to kiss as they were sitting under a full moon, Inuyasha's cheeks were adorned with his signature blue youkai markings. Kagome for her part had tiny triangle ears on top of her head and a fluffy midnight black tail curled around both of their waists. It was a custom made shirt she had designed for herself as a reward for...finally going to Otakon one year. It was something she had been wanted to do since she saw her first anime, Rurouni Kenshin when she was still in high school.

Hoping the little boy would not be too offended to be wearing a shirt with dog demons on it; she gathered it in her arms and was turning around to power walk back to the kitchen when her foot connected with some soft fur and then… Waah! Plop! Haru laid on her stomach trying to catch her breath. _Leave it to me to trip over some soft furred something in the middle of my bedroom trying to accommodate a strange white haired boy in my kitchen._

The fox looked over at Haru, mildly hurt since she had landed on his tail. He whined a bit, tugging and trying to get his tail released. Haru squeaked in distress when she heard the muffled whine. She held up her legs and scooted back on her hands and knees. "Oh no! I'm so sorry! Are you okay? I'm sorry!"

The fox hurried away once it's tail was free, rushing back towards the kitchen. His tail ached in pain from being pretty much smashed underneath Haru's oversized body.

"Oh you clumsy oaf! You hurt him. Should I follow or not? Wait a minute he went towards the kitchen, maybe he's seen Taro-san. I hope he isn't scared of Taro-san. All right I'd better go check."

Haru smoothed out the clothes as best she could before half folding them and walking out of her bedroom at a much calmer pace. She was still anxious for her furry friend but at least he felt well enough to hurry away from her. _Maybe he has healed enough to be able to leave. I don't like the idea of him outside all alone, and who knows if those despicable hunters or poachers or whoever they were, are still out there hunting for him. Maybe that's how he got hurt. Maybe they killed his family...sniff, sniff. This is so sad. I wish he could talk._

Taro, in his fox form, waited back in the kitchen. _Damn she's taking her time. Here I am freezing my fur off and she's_ _ **taking her sweet ass time**_ _! Now calm down Taro. There's no need to be so harsh on her. She has been taking care of us so far. At least give her that much. Okay?_ Is it all that strange to speak to yourself as if you aren't you? Didn't think so.

Haru rounded the corner, heading towards the kitchen when she received a shock. Instead of the strange amber-eyed young boy, with silver-white hair that almost appeared to glow in the light; there was her furry friend. A small fox with the same silvery white fur, bushy tail, and slender body sitting on the floor. Haru had walked in with her eyes closed so did not notice that the young boy was no longer in the room.

"Here are some clothes for you, Taro. I am sorry that they probably don't fit, it was the only things I could find on such short notice. I do hope you can wear these for the time being." Haru stopped just in front of the dark wooden table and the mismatched black metal folding chairs and the wooden ones around the table. She opened her eyes and saw…

"Thanks Haru. Just put them on the table." Taro's voice echoed across the room a bit.

Haru placed the shirt and pants on the table. She looked around her modest kitchen, but she did not see who was talking. She saw the sink, the windowsill with a small pot and a clinging vine growing out of it, the pale cream door of the fridge, but as far as a person to identify with the voice, there was nothing that she could see. So naturally she asked a question.

"Okay call me crazy, but I could have sworn there was a young boy in here last. Then an adorable white fox seemed to have headed in this direction. And now I am hearing a voice that appears to be coming from everywhere in this room...All right Haru. It's official you are going crazy. So I shall leave these clothes here on the table. I will make some tea and go into the living room, where hopefully my mysterious visitor will decide to be nice and show himself and I can stop thinking I am going insane."

With this thought in mind, Haru proceeded to heat water in a kettle. She pulled a blue cup out of the cupboard. She put a Raspberry Zinger tea bag in the cup, and she calmly walked out of the kitchen and sat down on her couch to wait for the kettle to whistle.

"Please make yourself at home. If you want, I can fix you a cup of tea or hot chocolate if you prefer. Are you hungry? I can fix something you if you like, or maybe I can order… Oh wait. I can't do that. We're snowed in. How nice to notice something normal like snow when dealing with strange things that make no sense. Like cute young boys disappearing without a trace and then strange adorable foxes showing up with no warning, yet somehow showing up on your doorstep, horribly injured, and looking like he or she is close to death and now...Yes I am going crazy. Please tea kettle, boil water faster so I can do something remotely normal before I give myself a migraine...Please!"

Taro stayed there in the kitchen, trying not to ruin this moment by bursting out laughing. Once Haru had finished ranting about her apparent insanity, he walked out of the kitchen his tiny claws clicking on the hardwood floor. He turned to face her, sitting down again. "I'd hardly call this going insane. You're just a very confused girl in a very strange world." Taro's voice didn't echo this time, but instead came straight from the fox. "And before you freak out. Let me explain/show you something." The fox closed its eyes and in a cloud of smoke, the boy emerged once again.

Haru sputtered and stammered for several minutes. All that came out were breathless squeaks and low mutterings. She blinked again and again trying to make her eyes catch up to her brain. However all that ran through her mind was: _Where did kawaii fox go? Does not compute. Does not compute._ Whistle! _Oh tea is ready. How did little boy get here? Does not compute… Kawaii fox. Cute boy. Where. From. Come. Did. You?_

Slowly a trickle of laughter bubbled pass her lips. Which grew in volume until poor Haru's shoulders and body were shaking with high-pitched squeaky laughter. This lasted for quite a while. "Ha, ha, ha! I just...hee, hee, hee, saw a b-boy...or was i-i-it a fox? The f-fox...ha ha ha! The f-fox goes, poof! Hee, ha, ha, hee; Now th-there is a boy! I knew it! I knew it! I am officially crazy! Oh...I-I can't br-breathe!"

 **Slap!** "Calm your frilly little, skinny, strawberry-scented ass!" _Can't believe I just said that…_ "This seriously can't be all that amazing. There is no need for all of these theatrics. Am I really that amazing?" _Am I?_ "Now Haru. Calm down and listen. You aren't crazy. This is real. I am real. I am also sorry for not telling you sooner. And for not telling you that you haven't changed out of your sleepwear and that I believe your choice of, underwear is rather uncalled for, for someone your age."

Haru lifted her hand to her cheek and rubbed it. His words did not seem to pierce the stunned fog surrounding her mind right now. The whistling kettle sounded in the background, but Haru could not summon the energy to think about it. Her gaze slowly traveled down to her shirt and pants and with a gasp she realized one key thing about Taro's speech that sank in. _I don't have...I never put on...Oh My Gosh!_

"I am soooo Sorry! I will go put on something right now. Um….Can you uh...fix the tea and I will be right back!" Haru scrambled from the couch, somehow hooking her left foot under her right and she fell in a heap on the floor. Ow! Haru had unfortunately bitten her lip and now it was bleeding. She also seemed to be completely ignoring Taro's comment on her underwear or the fact that… _He thinks I smell like strawberries? Aw how sweet! That's so nice, ah! Haru focus! Normal clothes! You go! Now!_

Haru quickly sat up, scrambling to her feet and sprinted out of the living room as fast as her feet could run. Haru made it to her bedroom in record time. She flung open her closet and stared at her wardrobe for a few seconds. Most of her clothes consisted of jeans, simple short-sleeved or long-sleeved shirts, one side was dedicated to professional wear; suits, dresses, dress pants of various browns, grays, and blacks. She grabbed the first thing she put her fingers on, a sweater and a pair of jeans and socks.

After putting her arms through the sleeves and tugging on the jeans she half-jumped to a small dresser and she yanked it open. Her fingers fumbled with the brushes, combs, bottles of perfume, and other knick-knacks inside. As her fingers made contact with a handle, she yanked it out and ran it through her tangled hair.

"Ow, has it been that long since I brushed my hair, really? No can't have been that long. Yup, I'm just standing here in my room, brushing my hair, not thinking about the fact there is a boy in my living room who can turn into a fox...Yes a fox. A fox, a fox, a fox, fox, fox, a fox….That is totally normal. I can do this!"

Dressed more presentably in a green button down shirt, light blue jeans, and her somewhat unruly straight hair framing her cheeks; she took a deep breath and headed back towards the living room. When she reached the kitchen she found the kettle still whistling and steaming.

"Haru you dummy! You left the kettle on! What if you had started a fire?" Haru grabbed the kettle and yelped. The rubber handle was quite hot to the touch. Trying it again, this time with a pot holder in hand, sh successfully poured two cups of tea. She carried them into the living room and placed them on a low glass table with black legs, went back for the porcelain cup filled with sugar and another with honey, and sat down in a chair facing her window.

All of a sudden her house phone rang. However Haru could not bring herself to answer it right now. She was much too intrigued with the strange white haired boy in her living room.


	3. Chapter 3

By this time, Taro had dressed himself in the given clothes, which were a few sizes too big. "What's with the design? Is this guy supposed to be an _Inu_? Lovely sight nonetheless. Just a bit big." Taro turned around a few times, for seemingly no reason. "Where is it?! Where is the blasted thing?" He ended up twirling so much that he fell off balance and landed on the floor. The moment he hit the floor however, two small fox ears popped out from the top of his head. Followed by a long, bushy tail. "Ah! There it is." Taro reached around, grabbed his tail, and began hugging it. "So fuzzy. I like. I missed you my friend."

Haru's face turned red. "I didn't...know what else...to get. I kind of grabbed...the first thing I could….You are not offended? I mean do foxes not like inu? I'm not sure if I have anything else that will fit you… Would you like some sugar or honey in your tea? I personally like honey in mine."

Haru finally looked up from holding her head down and she could not stop the joy filled grin on her face. Seeing the furry ears and silky tail, she could not resist the squeal of happiness. Without much thought she crawled forward on her hands and knees, intent on touching one of those soft furry appendages. Reaching for the tail, her fingers inched closer and closer until she could just hover over the fur.

With the most gentle of touches her fingers skimmed on top of the fur. Broken purrs bubbled past her lips. Her eyes closed and she continued to purr. The fur was so soft sliding under her trembling fingers. All she could think of was, _so soft. So soft. Must touch. Must touch. So very very soft._

She whispered, "Soft. Cannot stop touching. Soft. So beautiful. Wish I had ears and a tail...Sooo Beautiful."

Eventually the phone stopped ringing and her machine answered. "Hi you've reached Haru. I'm not here now but leave me your name and number and I'll get back to you soon. Have a great day!" The person on the other end was female.

"Hey Haru, it's Sandy. I just wanted you to know. The boss has not given you an extension. He wants you in the office as soon as you can dig your little light violet Beetle out of the snowy hills in front of your house. So good news you're not fired! Well hope things are going well for you, how's your furry house guest? I'd love to come by and see him or her. But...Oops! Gotta go okay, I'll talk to you tomorrow! Get some sleep Ms. Always-Tired, good luck bye!"

Taro was beyond speechless. At first his mind was too caught up with snuggling up with his tail to realize else someone was touching it. Once he did, he looked at Haru with concerning eyes. "Umm. Excuse me. What is it you think you are doing to my lovely, fluffy tail?"

"Um...I was...I was...petting the lovely, fluffy, beautiful, and soft….Tail? I'm sorry! I couldn't help it! It just looks so good and I love to pet soft furry things and I wanted to touch your ears but I thought that was too forward of me! Uh I will, I will stop now."

Haru gripped her right wrist and tugged it away with her other hand. She could not help the tiny whimper that escaped her mouth. She then proceeded to sit on her hands to make certain they did not go reaching for "no-touch" zones. Although she did have a goofy grin at one of her lifelong daydreams, _I wonder what I would look like with ears and tail...Oh well I can dream._

"Thank you dear." Taro's tone was almost hostile. "Could you please refrain from touching my tail? It's very dear to me." He stood back up and walked back into the kitchen. Dammit. _Dammit. Dammit!_ His face was beat red. _Why did it have to be her? Of all people, why the hell her? Alright. Alright. Just calm down. She doesn't know the truth. Let's keep it that way. Otherwise..._ Taro shuttered for a moment. _No. Don't think about it._

Haru bit her bottom lip sucking on it, with a nervous twitch. She could somewhat understand what she might have done wrong. It had to do with his tail. Maybe people that were not family or close friends were not permitted to touch a fox's tail? That made sense, but that did raise some questions like for example, _**Why does he have a tail and ears in the first place?**_

"I am so sorry, please forgive me Taro. I never meant to offend you! If you want I can...um, I don't know what to do." Haru hung her head down too embarrassed to look him in the eye. So she waited anxious and trembling for his answer.

Taro calmed himself before walking back out. "It's okay Haru. The feeling of your hand against my tail came so suddenly that I didn't know what to do. So many alarms went off in my head that just confused me. I didn't mean to sound offended, or lash out at you in such a way. It's me who should be apologizing."

Haru slowly raised her head and decided to ask something that had been bugging her for a while now. Haru pulled her fingers apart again and again. Her legs kept swinging back and forth. She could not look him in the eye so her next words were quite mumbled.

"Taro, you are not like any other person I have ever met. And to be honest, I am not entirely sure I even know what is going on. I mean correct me if I am wrong but the last time I checked boys do not have tails and ears on their heads."

Haru did look at Taro now, anxious to see his expression. She was still mumbling but she forged ahead. "I have a question for you. Why do you have a tail and ears? Have you seen the adorable but hopefully recovering silver-white fox that I have been looking after for the past night? What rules do I need to be aware of so I don't hurt you anymore, like with the fluff...I mean tail and soft ears, and the golden amber eyes...And what was I saying?

"Darn it Haru focus!" Haru smacked her cheeks. "Listen Taro I am not entirely sure what I saw and I am pretty sure I am losing my mind right now. I could have sworn I left that kitchen with a boy sitting in a chair, and then a fox ran out and I come back and now there is a boy with fox ears and a tail, and, and, I have no idea what's going on!? Can you please tell me what's going on?!"

"Well that's a question that hasn't come up in some time. Probably because I haven't been around humans in some time. Well... In all honesty, it's fairly simple. I-..."

A gunshot echoed through the area as a bullet flew through the wall and into Taro's forehead. He leaned back in response, only to merely lift up a finger. "Hold that thought for just a moment." He stood straight up again, blood dripping from the hole as Taro walked outside. "Excuse me for a moment dear. Got something I've got to take care of." He slowly closed the door before making a full-out break for whoever shot him. Weird noises could be heard outside. Some of which sounded much like screams muffled by what sounded like running water.

He returned to the house, looking different. The hole in his forehead was gone for one. Secondly, the shirt he was wearing, as well as his hands, were covered in blood. "Sorry for that. Where were we again?" He spoke in a calm collective tone.

Haru gasped clutching her arms for support. She could not believe this was happening. _Who could have figured out that he was even here, in this particular house? How did they find him? Why was he not more concerned or for that matter injured after being shot in the head?! The one thing that makes sense is the blood, because he probably just...um...I'm not going to think about that._

"Taro...Taro...What just happened? And what did you mean by that comment about not being around humans for a long time. Do you know that you are bleeding from your head and your hands are covered in blood? Can I help in any possible way? Do you need bandages, cooked or raw meats, or ice water, or sweets for low blood sugar? Help me out Taro, I'm drowning here!"

Haru fluttered around Taro with her hands constantly moving up and down, yet with no directions they would continue to flop up and down, because Haru had no clue what to do with them. She did not know if she should call the cops, grab a first aid kit, or simply let him walk out of her house. Into the snow and let him get back to where ever he had come from. Which reminded her of another question, "Taro if you really are a shape-shifting fox of some kind, how did you end up with your leg stuck in the weirdest bear trap I ever saw, and in serious danger of bleeding to death? Can you tell me that at least? I know I don't look it, but I am actually a good listener.

"I really can't handle more than one crisis at a time. Can we please start at the beginning?" Haru's feet moved her towards her couch with similar movements to a stiff robot. She slunk to the floor in front of the couch and looked at Taro with a pleading expression, and not at all certain she would get an answer to her silent pleas for understanding.

"Now I'm sure I've done nothing more than, introduce to you more confusion than anything else. Forgive me. Back to the matter at hand. I'm not human. Even though my appearance might say otherwise. Anyway... I have these fox ears and tail because that's what I am. I'm a spirit fox. Something humans deem, 'an impurity that must be cleansed'. Or something like that. Let me be the first to tell you Haru. I'm not a monster. My actions may say otherwise, but I only do what it takes to preserve my existence." Taro slowly walked back into the kitchen, removing the blood stained shirt.

Haru's face felt very warm as a deep blush stained her cheeks. However the blush turned to tears when it finally sunk in that not only would someone want to kill him just for being himself, but to have the nerve to call him and his kind an impure creation was too much. Haru muttered, "Boy if I was strong enough I'd slap the jerks that did this right in the face. How dare they assume that just because someone is not- the great-and-powerful-human, this automatically means a Death Sentence! I..am so mad right now. It's not fair! How could anyone look at, at, him and think he's a monster? Why the big bunch of jerks! … …. …."

Haru decided to try something different. Maybe a friendly show of support would help get her message across. So with slow steps, Haru walked up to Taro and briefly put her arms around his waist. She held them there for a count of 5 and then she retreated to her previous spot on the floor; she really hoped she had not just crossed a line. How many times could she embarrass herself in front of one person in the span of less than three hours? She also hoped Taro understood that while she may not understand everything he was going or had gone through, that she would do her best to be empathetic and compassionate. So once again this strange awkward situation was in Taro's hands or paws, or… whatever he used!

Taro's mind was racing from thought to thought. If he stayed and the hunters attacked, what if Haru got pulled into this? The last thing he wanted was to endanger her. And what if Haru wants him to leave because she doesn't want to be a part of this? Then what? All these questions bounced around in his head.

Between thoughts, he felt a warm embrace against his back. It caught him off guard for a moment. Haru's body felt so warm against his. It felt so, surreal. Though the contact was short, Taro could sense her trying to understand. And even though it seemed she didn't quite understand, he could tell she believed in him. A part of him burned up when she let go and walked off.

A few moments passed of silence. Neither side moving towards the other. That's when a voice spoke up. A young girl's voice. "Oh come on already! Either say something or kiss dammit." Right in front of Haru appeared a young blonde girl, her hair almost reaching her waist and a pink hoodie covering her top, with matching striped stockings.

"Howdy. How you doing? I'm Aya."

Haru stared with her mouth open. She attempted to say something but nothing came out. She looked back and forth between Taro and this strange girl named Aya. Haru glanced back at Taro trying to pick up some kind of cue, as to what she was supposed to do now. Did he know her? How did she know him? What was up with the kiss comment? And furthermore, how did she get here and where did she come from? Haru's day was continuing to spiral away from plain old confusion and into just bizarre events unfolding before her eyes. So she thought she'd start off simple, "Hi. M-my n-name is H-haru...How can I help you?"

Aya looked over at Taro. "She's an awkward one. I'll give her that one master. It seems you've got your sights on another, interesting basket case."

"Will you quit it Aya? You're not helping." He walked into the living room, glaring at Aya. "Forgive her Haru. Aya can be rather blunt at times. Well anyway. Best knock the first few questions out of the way. Aya is something like a daughter to me…"

"Is that so? I believe a certain someone saw me as something else one fateful, cold winter night. Am I wrong, _master_?"

"I told you before. That wasn't anything. And stop calling me master. Anyway... Aya here has been here since you found me Haru. She just likes to stay hidden."

"And don't worry Haru. Your secret is safe with me." Aya goes over and pats Haru on the shoulder. "I won't tell a soul. Or spirit."

Haru sputtered and mumbled. There were so many questions and thoughts tumbling in her head she couldn't sort them out. She did kind of flinch when the Aya girl patted her shoulder. Haru wished it had been Taro, even if he looked like a boy. Her eyes darted between the girl and Taro for several seconds. What Haru really wanted to do was something normal and safe. She had no delusions that any attempts to actually stand would end with her in a crumpled heap of legs and arms on the floor. _It's probably safer if I just sit here. I look less threatening this way, I hope. Just keep it simple. Simple. Simple. Simple. …_

"Taro-san? Who were those people that screamed and more than likely shot you in the head? Why did that happen?" Turning a skeptical and somewhat suspicious glance to the other girl. "If you claimed to be so close to Taro-san why didn't you come help him? He was dying on my living room rug! He just got shot not three feet in front of me! Now you decide to show up after everything was said and done. He could have died! Where were you?! I have a half a mind to throw you out of my house! Now what do you want? Are you with those jerks that tried to shoot at Taro? I don't know you. How do we know that you are, who you even say you are? How do we know she's not a spy of some kind?" Haru had ended up standing and was glaring at the young girl.

Aya looked at Haru with mild irritation. "Who do you think you're talking to? Why would I team up with the people who just tried to kill my master? If anyone should be asking that question it should be me. Why didn't you do anything when he was shot?"

Taro quickly stepped between them, seeing this argument was not going well and knowing how Aya gets when she's angry. "Now you two quit it. Neither of you are to blame for what happened to me. Now if you two are finished, I believe we have a guest coming to the door. A human from the smell." There was a sudden knock at the door mere moments after Taro said something.

Haru did not look at the door. She was still kind of glaring at this, this girl. _Well who does she think she is? If she's been here all this time, why did it take her so long to show up?_ "What was I supposed to do? I'm not bulletproof!"

 _((10/3/16- I have to apologize. I've gone through three chapters without placing my regards to my wonderful partner. Nekotenshihime. I could not done any of this well enough without her help))_


	4. Chapter 4

The person knocked again. Haru had no intention of opening that door. How was she supposed to know who was on the other side? What if it was those crazy people with guns? Or it could be a mailman delivering the mail...in all this snow? Not likely, so unless this mystery person identified him or herself; she would not open that door.

Aya stormed out of the room, muttering to herself. Taro sighed. "Please forgive her. She's been like this ever since I met her." He sat down on the floor, looking over at Haru.

"You see, I found Aya when I was venturing through the mountains near where I lived. It was about the time for beings like me to relocate our homes so that the hunters won't find us. So there I was, scouting out a new place to live, when I heard the faint sound of crying."

" _Hello? Who's there?" The mountain snow cracked and shifted with Taro's footsteps. He followed the sounds to find a young girl, kneeling in the snow. She seemed human in appearance, which quickly brought Taro on edge. Humans so close to where he lived. Even high up here they've found a way to survive. Thoughts of disposing of the girl raced through his mind. Where's there's one human, more can't be too far away. He almost went through with his idea, when he noticed just why this young girl was crying. Just a few feet in front of her laid a large pile of boulders, almost buried by snow. And just barely reaching out from the bottom, was a female's arm. Her mother perhaps? Which would mean... The harsh storm earlier must have caused a portion of the upper mountain to fall, ending up unexpectedly falling down on this girl's home._

 _Taro paused for a moment, wondering what to say, or even what to do. Another storm could come around at any moment. And the last thing he wanted was to be caught in it. But what about the girl? He couldn't just leave her here alone. He took a moment to think over his options, before shifting to a more human-like appearance._

" _Umm. You okay there?" Trying not to sound like he'd been watching her._

 _The girl looked back at Taro, wiping away the tears from her eyes. She looked like she wanted to say something, but was too choked up to speak. But instead she only rushed off. There was something in her eyes that caught him off guard. Her eyes were not filled with sadness and grief, but of hatred and burning desire for revenge._

 _Taro would have pondered his thoughts longer, but noticed the general direction the girl was going. There was a sheer cliff mere moments in front of her, and she didn't seem to see it through the blizzard until she stepped over it. Without any thought upon the possible consequences, Taro rushed over the cliff side and grabbed the girl, quickly reaching out for the edge. However by that point, the two of them had fallen too far to grab the edge. And with that, the two of them fell, vanishing into the abyss below._

Taro looked at Haru, trying to assess her opinion of what he had said so far.

"Right, cliff plus blizzard equals… … Really long fall into open air..." Haru reached for the blue cup of lukewarm tea and took three or four tiny sips. She stared back at Taro. She was trying to show her concern and sympathy for the young girl. Aya may be blunt and kind of sarcastic, but she did seem to truly care about Taro. Haru would do her best not to waste energy being mad at her. "What happened to you two? How did you survive that fall?" Haru whispered while staring at her tea.

"If you're worried about me telling a secret, you don't have to worry. I'm pretty much invisible at my job; I'm an only child, I haven't talked to my mom in a few weeks...So there shouldn't be a problem of anyone finding out. I promise."

Taro sighed, looking down at the floor. He was silent for a bit before he looked back up at Haru.

 _Taro brought the girl close to him as they fell. She seemed to have fainted from the sudden sensation of free fall. Taro had to think of something quick. The ground couldn't be too far below them. And at this speed, the impact would surely kill her. "Don't worry. I'll, I'll think of something." He held the girl closer to him and closed his eyes. "Come on. Come on. Please work." Taro's body began to glow. The hard ground came into view below them. It seemed certain they'd hit the ground for sure. However in the last moments before impact, the two of them vanished. Taro found himself on his stomach inside a cave. The blizzard was fiercely raging outside. "Well it seems leaving is out of the question. Now where's the girl?" He looked around a bit before finding her curled up, shivering from the cold. Taro crawled over to her, wrapping his arms around her. He had to keep her warm. Through any means necessary. Taro closed his eyes once more as he transformed himself into a large white fox, wrapping his body around the girl._

" _That should be good enough until the storm let's up." He laid his head down and tried to get some sleep. Taro felt the girl shift a bit, wrapping her arms lightly around him. She seemed comfortable. Right before Taro fell asleep, he heard a faint whisper from the girl._

" _Good night, Mommy."_

Haru twirled her thumbs for a while. She puckered her lips in thought. "Mommy? Did she really say mommy? Hmmm…." Haru twirled her thumbs again and then whispered, "Lucky girl, all warm and toasty, in fox fur. She's so lucky. Wish I could be wrapped up in warm fox fur in the middle of a blizzard. Well okay, maybe not including the blizzard but still. Oooh, Haru focus please!" Haru finally finished sipping her now cold tea and looked back at Taro.

"So that's how you survived the fall. But I have questions still, for example, why were you in the blizzard in the first place and second, um, what did Aya-san mean when she said, 'interesting basket case'? And one more thing, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess that Aya does not turn into a furry canine as well."

"What about furry canines?" Aya said randomly walking back into the room wearing a few of Haru's clothes.

Taro looked back at her. "Oh. You're back. It's nothing. I was just telling Haru here about how you and I met."

A look of nervousness came across her face. "Wait. You didn't tell her everything. Did you?"

"Don't worry dear. I hadn't gotten to that point yet. But if you want, I can talk about it. Especially since you're the one who first brought it up."

Aya's face grew very flustered at Taro's comment. "No. No. No. No. Please don't."

Taro shrugged his shoulders. "It wasn't like we did anything perverted."

"I said no! Now drop it!" Aya's tone quickly grew hostile. Her hair started to stand up on its ends. It was hard to tell if Aya was a fox, or a very startled cat.

"Okay. Okay. Can't you take a joke? You're just as bad as Yuriko. Jeez."

Haru raised her hand as if she was in a classroom. "Um pardon me, I don't mean to interrupt, but would someone care to explain what the heck is going on?"

"Darling Aya here is getting all embarrassed that I almost told you about how I found her the following morning." A sly smirk formed across Taro's lips.

"I am not getting all embarrassed. It's just..." Aya's face grew an even deeper shade of red with her blush.

Haru could not help but giggle a little at Aya's scarlet, blushing face. "This...reminds me… of Hinata-chan trying to talk to Naruto-kun in the beginning of the show….I can't help it. I love anime and that is so cute!" Haru giggled covering her mouth with her hand. She managed to stop after a few minutes hoping she would not receive an angry glare from Aya.

Both Aya and Taro looked at Haru and replied practically at the same time. "Huh?" They looked at each other.

"Humans. Am I right?"

"Yeah. Still don't understand them."

"You should watch Naruto, or RWBY, or um what's another good one...Oh yes! Fairy Tail! Those are good ones to start with and Inuyasha is a really good anime and manga too. Oh dear I'm rambling again."

Taro nodded. "Mhm. You were rambling about some, anume. Something like that. Anyway, who wants to know the adorable state I found Aya in when I woke up?"

"I do! I do!" Haru started to cheer. Then she took a quick peek at Aya and she stopped mid-squeak. "I...don't...want...to see that...I don't."

"Aww. But it's super adorable. Like Shippo and Kirara adorable." Taro could feel the intense glare on him from Aya.

"I love Kirara and Shippo, not as a pairing but no one can deny how adorable they are.

"Wait a minute. How do you know about Shippo and Kirara if you don't know about anime, Taro-san?"

"I simply looked through some black book I found in your dresser. Read some interesting things in there though."

Haru started to smile but then her face puckered in a frown. ' _Wait a minute...book, a black book? What black book?'_ Not entirely sure if she wanted the answer to her question she decided to ask it anyway. She turned to Taro, with a concerned whisper, "Just where did you find this black book, in my dresser? And when did you look there?" Haru was doing her best not to lose her nerve by staring at Taro. She was not quite looking in his eyes more so, in the general area of those golden orbs. She licked her lips and coughed a little as she waited with shaken breath for an answer.

Taro shrugged, gazing up at the ceiling for a moment. "I think it was titled Dairy. Or something like that. I found it under certain pieces of your clothes. There was some very interesting things in that book. Why would you keep such sensitive information in such a small book?"

Haru proceeded to sway back and forth. She was in danger of just passing out. Everything was happening too fast and her brain was struggling to keep up. Why oh why did Taro have to look in her diary of _all_ places?! Her diary was private. No one should be looking there. She could only imagine the embarrassing things she said in those pages. Although Taro had not answered her question; just when did he look in her room to go snooping through her personal belongings?

A glare spread over her eyes and mouth. She felt betrayed. How could Taro do that, even if he did not know what it was, surely the fact it was hidden meant it was an object that should not be shared with others? The only upside was she had little new details about the current events, she had not gotten around to writing in it since Taro had wandered on her doorstep. She stood up without waiting for an answer to her second question despite the fact she really wanted it.

"Excuse me I need to go." Haru did not look at Taro and she certainly did not look at Aya. She walked out of her living room, any thought of breakfast or tea ignored, and headed to her bedroom, locking the door behind her.

Aya looked at Taro. "Now look at what you've done. You made her embarrassed. Now she's locked herself in her room."

"What are you talking about Aya? I only read from that book because you were the one who found it and told me to read it. You're the reason she's embarrassed, not me. I say you go apologize to her."

"Fine. Whatever. I'll go apologize." Aya turned to leave the living room and walked towards Haru's room. "Umm. Haru? You okay in there?" She paused for a second before trying to open the door. "Huh. She really locked this door up tight. Haru. I'm coming in." Aya took a few steps forward, stepping through the door. "Umm. Knock. Knock?"

Haru was curled up on the other side of her bed, clutching a pillow under her head, and trying and failing to not cry. She didn't know what made her think she could trust him. Enchanting eyes and fluffy ears/tails aside, that was a complete invasion of privacy.

Haru needed time to sort out her feelings it was one of the reasons she had locked her door. So with her sniffling on the floor of her room, idly wondering how she would get the blood stains out of her favorite shirt and wondering if she would even have a job come the next morning; she did not hear the voice currently in her room.

 _I can only imagine what kind of things he read in my book. I almost feel like burning it, but that wouldn't make any sense. Why did it have to be Taro? Really Haru, he's a stranger it's not like he's your boyfriend, if he was would you still be upset? Well duh! I've never had a boyfriend and I am pretty sure no boyfriend I could have would be curious enough to read my own diary at least not without me saying it's okay first. What was with that boyfriend comment? He already has a special friend...Could she have been the one that told him to read it? Why wouldn't she read it herself then? She already thinks I am a loser and worthless, and she barely even knows me!_

"Umm. Haru? Is everything okay? You seem distressed."

Aya took a few steps closer. "I'm, I'm sorry about Taro. What he did was completely wrong and possibly very irritating."

 _I doubt my ramblings in a private book could change her mind…_ Haru was locked away from the outside world and she had no intention of joining it. As childish as her trusting Taro might have been in hindsight, she was not going to regret that. She only wished she knew _why_?

"Umm. Haru? Are you there? Jeez." Aya walked closer, sitting at the edge of the bed. She sighed. "If you keep lying there so distressed, you'll never find out why you're distressed. And trust me. It's a crazy answer."

Haru mumbled around the pillow. She frowned against her upraised arm, taking a swift bite on her forearm. In a quick burst she stood up clenching her fists.

"Do you have any idea what it is like having a stranger look at something private, something you never wanted others to see? Why isn't Taro in here apologizing? What do you mean it's a crazy answer, what does that even mean?" Haru stood silent, staring at Aya. It made no sense for Taro to send Aya in here to apologize for him. He must know how nervous Aya made her feel. Furthermore, why was Aya talking like she was about to spill some great secret to her, as if they were suddenly best friends at a sleepover? What did she want from her?

"What do you want from me?"

"What do I want? I thought that would be obvious. I just want to apologize for the actions of my terrible friend. Like seriously, he invades your privacy without your permission, and doesn't even have the guts to apologize to you himself. And the reason you're so distressed, is because you've fallen for his cute, adorable disguise. Thankfully, I'm here to save you."

Haru took a step back a look of disbelief on her face. She looked toward her door and where Taro was probably sitting in her modest living room wondering if perhaps Aya was not tearing her to little pieces. Then again, he'd be expecting screams and the sound of broken things, not this, this strained tension waiting to ignite into scorching flames. Haru had the urge to hit her and she was not a violent person.

"Get out of my room," Haru's voice had a steel edge to it. It was almost a whisper. Haru's teeth clenched together; eyes narrowed to slender slits. If she had fangs they'd be poking over her lips as she curled them up in a feral smile.

"Woah. Calm down. I'm only here to lay down the facts. Don't take it out on me Haru. Take it out in the one who's truly to blame. The foxy boy that is sitting in the living room like he's innocent."

Haru could try to believe Aya's words. She could try to give her the benefit of the doubt but something was tingling in the back of her mind _don't be so quick to trust her._ Since Aya refused to leave her room then Haru would and with this in mind she walked off without a backwards glance at the other girl.

She found Taro sitting on her couch. Unfortunate Haru had no idea what he was thinking at the moment. So in a bare whisper she said, "Taro-san can we talk please?"

"Huh? Oh Haru. Yeah what's up?"

Haru opened her mouth but closed it again. Now face to face with him she found herself losing her nerve. She began tapping her fingers against her side and looking down she saw the book that started all this. Glaring at the book then taking a deep breath, she said, "Taro-san who read this book," holding up the black book. Her nails were digging into the cover leaving tiny indents.

"I did. I thought we already went over that.

"What do you mean went over it? You...okay so maybe you did read it... You didn't even say… did _she_ read it too! What are you talking about? Do you understand what this is, it's a diary. A private place to record your private thoughts and you just casually mention you read it, like it's no big deal!" Haru's voice rose in volume until she was almost shouting at him. Her nails were scratching her book, her fists shaking at her side. Tears spilled down her cheeks. "Why Taro? Why did you read this? What made you think it was a good idea? I...I can't trust you. What else have you stumbled across in my house? What else? Tell me please!"

Haru was shaking all over her hands were twisting the book so hard the pages were starting to tear. She did not look at him. She was desperate for a reason, a reply, an explanation… Something!

Taro looked at Haru with a blank stare. He didn't know what to say. There was nothing he could say to fix this. His mind raced to think of something, anything to say to fix this. It got to the point that his body shook nervously. What to do? What to say? Minutes of silence went by before Taro's body just moved on it's own. It made him quickly stand up and meet Haru's mouth with his lips. Before he knew what he was doing, he was deeply kissing her.

Haru froze. Her brain went on autopilot. _What is going on here? Why is...how…!? What do I do?_ Poor Haru tried to come up with a plan, maybe biting his tongue, smacking him on the chest, _or perhaps,_ a dry voice whispered; _you can kiss him back and see where this leads?_

Haru couldn't stand the heat in her cheeks anymore; the twist in her stomach the...the….warmth and charged nerves mixing with desire. Haru didn't care if Aya walked in. She didn't care if he was a fox spirit and she was a human. All she wanted was this moment frozen in time, for her to enjoy the rest of her life. Haru's hands held Taro closer as she purred and faintly moaned in the back of her throat. Only Taro or the ever vital task of breathing could make her stop now. Even then she thought, _if I pass out now I will be a very very happy girl._

It took Taro a few moments to realize what he did. He almost pulled away, apologizing profusely, but when Haru herself didn't pull back in shock or even bite him, _hehe_ , he just slowly pulled away. "Umm. Sorry about that. Did... Didn't know what came over me." He took a few steps away, rubbing the back of his head. And as clumsiness follows, Taro ended up backing up into the front of the chair and not only falling backwards, but taking the whole chair with him. He now partially sat in the now tipped over chair, looking up at Haru.


	5. Chapter 5

Haru stood her eyes almost closed. She was not entirely sure she had heard Taro's reply. However she did hear when poor Taro fell over and was now staring at her from the floor. Haru giggled it felt so good to laugh, to forget all the stress and anxiety even if only for a while. She reached down to help him sit up. "Guess I'm not the only clumsy one", Haru continued in a lower voice, "Do I still smell like ichigo, you know, strawberries?"

"Smell? You taste like strawberries. And I'm not clumsy. That chair simply tripped me. That's all. Okay?"

"You, you taste like snow and vanilla. It was very pleasant. Sorry the chair tripped you."

Haru knelt down on her knees on the side of the chair Taro had knocked over. She whispered, "What do we do now Taro-san?"

"Snow and vanilla you say? Huh? Never knew that." Taro pondered on the thought, not paying much attention to Haru.

Haru was not sure what to expect. Right now she was not really sure what she should be doing. A strange thought occurred to her. _Taro looks like he's 12 but that...kiss...he was, it was...Wow. But too weird._

Taro seemed kind of out of it, she wanted to laugh. So she decided to smile and shyly lay her hand on Taro's knee. "I liked this kissing idea. Can we do this again?"

He sighed, shaking his head. "Come on Yuriko. You act like we haven't kissed, before." He stared down at the floor and there was a moment of silence from Taro before he could be heard sobbing. Those words. Those exact words. They were the words Yuriko, Taro's lover said when they met. _How? Why? Why did it have to be those words? Those sweet, innocent words? Please. Please stop. Please stop now. Before I lose myself._ Taro had fallen into a emotional shut-down, staring at the floor as he continued to cry.

Haru gave a soft gasp. She had no idea why Taro started crying but she was not able to stand there and do nothing. So with tears leaking from her eyes, she wrapped her slender body around him trying to offer some quiet support.

The sudden feeling of warmth from Haru's body caused Taro to tense up. His head slowly rose up and he stared at Haru. "What? Where am I? Who are you? Where's Yuriko?"

Haru slowly unhooked her hands from Taro's waist. She stepped back from him with unhurried steps. Holding her palms up on the sides near her face, she leaned down until she was on her knees. In a quiet whisper, "Taro. Yuriko's not here. But Aya is here," Haru did her best to keep any bitterness out of her voice at the mention of that name. She continued in the same quiet tone, her eyes just looking past his ankles. "Do you remember a girl named Haru? She found you hurt and did her best to make sure you were healthy. That was me. I won't hurt you I promise. I promise."

Haru made sure Taro had a clear view of her whole body so when she backed away on all fours, Taro had no problem seeing where she was going. Haru crawled backwards around the overturned chair, bumping against the table, until she stopped about the middle of the floor. She was almost on her belly looking at Taro from her position on the kitchen floor while she waited with hushed breath for Taro's answer. _I hope I made myself as least threatening as possible._

Taro met eyes with Haru. "Ha-ru?" There was a pause in his words as he stared blankly at her. His mind seemed so distant at that moment. "Haru? Where... Where am I? Where's Yuriko? Tell me where she is?" It was clear Taro's mind was clouded by panic. The events of that day raced in his head. He fell onto his side, crying onto the floor. "I'm sorry Yuriko. I should have went back for you. I shouldn't have left you alone back there."

Poor Haru was tongue tied. Taro was obviously reliving some horrid event and a very special person named Yuriko was involved. Of course this didn't really help her right now. She still had no idea who she was but she could guess.

 _Maybe she was his sister or cousin? Then again… if Taro really is a fox spirit and fox spirits can live a whole lot longer than humans then is it such a stretch to say: Taro is older than he looks? So following that logic...then Yuriko could be his daughter. It might make sense especially given how he acts around_ her. _Anyway back to comforting, because Taro is kind of freaking me out now. He can't recognize me! Now what do I do?!_

Haru was at a lost. Taro seemed to be in a panic. He was crying, no, shaking with tears on her kitchen floor and she had no clue what to say to him. Well hugging did not seem too out of place? So Haru slowly crawled away from the table to his shuddering curled up form; she got on her side scooting up to his face and she wrapped herself around him. Haru began humming and rubbing her hands in tiny circles around his back. She really hoped Taro was not having a panic attack, but more than that she wanted him to know he wasn't alone whether he recalled who she was or not.

 _Please get better soon Taro-kun, Haru doesn't know what to do._

It was at this point that Aya got bored of simply sitting on Haru's bed and chose to walk out to the living room to see how things were turning out. "Now come on Taro. Stop your crying. You're embarrassing yourself in front of dear Haru here."

Aya looked at Taro and fell silent. She had seen that face before. He always had that face whenever Yuriko's name was brought up. Whatever those two had, it was something strong enough to cause extreme pain in Taro. Aya rushed to his side, wrapping her arms around him.

"Just relax. Remember who you are. Where you are. And remember who is here for you, Taro. You need to snap out of this. Yuriko isn't here. She hasn't been here for years. You can't keep dwelling on the past. Please. Come back to me." She maintained her grip, despite Taro's constant flailing.

Haru did not notice Aya was currently curled around Taro. All she knew was that Taro was thrashing and whimpering and in clear distress and there seemed to be nothing she could do. So Haru continued to hold him from the front, rubbing her hands in circles and waiting. She waited for Taro to find his way out of the nightmare he was drowning in. She could only hope they might still have a relationship when he finally returned.

Although Haru had to notice that her hands were kind of squished against another warm body and realizing who this person was Haru actually felt tempted to expose her miniscule K-9 teeth and scare the other one away. She had been here longer and doing her absolute best to comfort and support him. Now all of sudden this person would be the one to wake him up? Haru couldn't understand the frigid trickling of heat flooding through her at that thought. She knew that, that girl had been with him longer, she had more history with him. She must know more about Taro than Haru could imagine. But the thought of giving up her attempts to reassure Taro after everything that happened, Haru felt she would lose something precious in return.

 _I know I have no right to curl up here trying my hardest to help him...I know that but still… I cannot, I will not give up! Maybe it's petty of me thinking, "Go Away! I was here first!" But at this point I don't care which one of us pulls him out of his night terror as long as he comes back! And if...if he wants nothing to do with me….after words, then I will bear it with a smile on my face. Because Taro is someone precious to me._

That spark or rush of cold heat Haru felt earlier builds up. Before she knows what she is doing she crawls away from Taro's shuddering sobbing form. She does not look at the girl currently wrapped around him. With a quivering exhale Haru tried to sit Taro up. It was not easy considering the girl clinging to him from behind and Taro's own twisting.

"Taro I don't know if you can hear me but you need to...you need to… Wake Up!"

The resulting _smack_ echoed in the tiny kitchen. Haru stood silent and panting with her stinging palm outstretched.

"Do you have any idea the emotional roller coaster you put me through in the last few hours? I find a white fox bleeding to death just outside my door. I take him inside. I do the best medical healing I can, limited though it may be. Then, I get sent on a trip to Crazy City with a shape-shifting little boy who talks like a young man. Now I have to deal with this intrusive and, to be blunt, obnoxious girl who, from almost the moment she opened her mouth, seemed to feel the need to subtly put me down. I could live with that. Or to be more accurate I can attempt to understand it. I don't have all the history you do with her. I thought maybe it was something I did. Maybe she's angry that I didn't do whatever I could to keep a certain someone from being shot at. How exactly is the little human supposed to be able to do anything against bullets?

"I am not going to ignore the diary episode. Look, before when you kissed me, or I kissed you, I did not know what to do with myself. I am still not entirely sure what happened back there. You went somewhere Taro. Somewhere that I'm not sure I might be allowed in. But I need you to know that… I won't go anywhere. I don't want to go anywhere. When it comes to your world a newborn fox probably knows more than I do. You're not scaring me away. I can be quite stubborn when I want to be. So know this, I am not giving up without a fight. Because," Haru takes a deep breath to steady her nerves.

"You are a precious person to me. No I have no idea how it started or when. But I am tired of living my life in the sidelines and being a quiet spectator, so darn it! I want in. Now please do me a favor and consider talking about that past, that has you turned in knots, wailing in despair, and burdened in agony. I told you I am a good listener."

Haru was still panting after she had finished. She was staring into Taro's eyes as if he was the only other person in the world. She waited. She waited for her words to sink in, for a light of recognition, for a spark of life.

Taro was still for a few moments longer, staring blankly at the floor. He turned to look at Haru, fully unaware of Aya's presence next to him. A few seconds went by in what felt like an eternity before Taro fell over, lying passed out on the floor. His body relaxed into a curl as he childishly hugged his tail.

Aya, who had still had her arms around Taro, was now on the floor with him. "Well great. You broke him Haru." A small laugh escaped her lips. "You shouldn't need to worry. He'll be okay. Just let him rest."

Haru was confused. Haru was not able to make sense of what happened. One moment she was airing her grievances and concerns, the next Taro was slumped over hugging his tail like a security blanket. If she had not been so befuddled she could have laughed at how cute he looked. She tried to hide a giggle behind her hand, but then she recalled Aya had been speaking. Haru's lip curled up for a second, her ears did not seem to enjoy the sound of Aya's voice.

Her voice made Haru feel like not only was she an outsider, but also stupid and ignorant. She felt like she could never measure up to this other girl. Really, why should Haru be worried about measuring up to Aya? So what if Aya had more time with Taro? Why did it matter?

Haru gave a soft gasp. She curled a finger running it through his soft hair and just briefly touching his tail. She leaned her head next to Taro's hoping the other girl couldn't hear her, "I'll be right here when you wake up Taro-kun and I want you to know I...I...like you."

Haru had the warmest urge to wrap him in a blanket with her by his side, all snuggly and cozy. In fact, this image made her so cozy without thinking about the possibility of consequences… Haru kissed the top of Taro's head.

She slowly got to her feet. She gave a slow nod to Aya, before sliding past Taro's curled form, and walking towards her bedroom. _I can understand they have history all I want. It doesn't change the fact I think I... I...love him. And if I love him then I may have a difficult time being nice to her. What am I going to do? What do I do if he doesn't like me, or worse, he never wants to see me again?_

Aya sat there, staring at the floor. _What was going on? Who is that girl? How could that girl do what even I could not. She broke him from his past._ She kept sitting there, motionless and speechless.


End file.
